Indianapolis Airport Faces FAA 10% Flight Reductions Amid Shutdown

(INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA) Indianapolis International Airport will begin cutting scheduled domestic flights during daytime and evening hours under FAA-mandated flight reductions starting November 7, 2025, as the federal government shutdown strains air traffic control staffing and airport operations nationwide. The phased cuts require airlines to trim up to 10% of scheduled domestic flights between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., with the full 10% reduction in place by November 14, 2025. International flights are not affected by the order.

As travelers filtered into Indianapolis International Airport on Friday morning, the immediate impact was already visible.

“Airlines have already canceled 15 flights in Indianapolis and more than one thousand nationwide,” according to WISH-TV reporting from Indianapolis International Airport.
Airport officials said the situation will continue to change in coming days as carriers adjust schedules to meet federal limits and reassign crews across their networks.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s directive, issued in response to the ongoing shutdown, applies to approximately 40 major U.S. airports, placing Indianapolis in a broad cluster that includes hubs and key regional gateways in Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Chicago, Louisville, and Cincinnati. The FAA is staggering the reductions to spread the shock to passengers and airlines: a 4% reduction by 6:00 a.m. Eastern on November 7 will rise to 6% by November 11, reach 8% by November 13, and hit 10% by November 14, continuing at that level until further notice. The agency said the order covers scheduled domestic departures and arrivals during the busiest operating window, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and explicitly exempts international flights.

Airlines will decide which domestic flights to cancel or move as they work to comply with the caps, leaving passengers with a patchwork of changes that could vary by carrier and destination. Airport officials urged travelers to plan ahead and build in extra time. They advised people to “check with their airlines before heading out to the airport,” emphasizing that “ultimately it is up to airlines to decide which flights are canceled.” The Indianapolis Airport Authority said the terminal will remain open and services will continue, but warned that schedules will remain fluid as the federal order rolls through airline operations.

“The Indy airport will continue to operate as normal in the terminal with a focus on ensuring travelers have a smooth, pleasant experience,” the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) stated, while adding that its teams are tracking developments closely as the FAA requirements take effect.
In practical terms, that means Indy’s check-in counters, gates, retail, and amenities will stay open even as airlines pare back departures to meet the daily caps.

Union leaders representing air traffic controllers said the cutbacks highlight the strain inside the system as controllers and other federal aviation personnel work without pay. Drew MacQueen, Great Lakes Regional Vice President for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said,

“The system is critically staffed. It’s running on a razor’s edge… Most controllers are working mandatory overtime. They’re working six-day work weeks, 10-hour days, which is stressful enough, and having no work-life balance there, basically. Now, throw on top of it, missing not one paycheck, but two paychecks and having no end in sight.”
The union has warned for weeks that staffing shortfalls would ripple outward during the shutdown, slowing operations and forcing difficult choices in busy airspace.

The FAA has framed the flight caps as a safety measure intended to match traffic volume with available staffing and equipment, and to reduce the risk of cascading delays and control room errors. The agency said the reductions are necessary to “ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficiency of the National Airspace System” during the shutdown period, as controllers, technicians, and other essential federal staff continue working without pay. With fewer eyes and fewer rested controllers on duty, the system becomes less flexible, and capacity limits help prevent gridlock, missed separation standards, and long tarmac waits that can disrupt operations for hours.

For Indianapolis, the timing hits at a busy point in the fall travel season and only weeks before peak holiday traffic. The airport typically handles about 40,000 passengers per day, according to the IAA, which means as many as 4,000 daily travelers could be directly affected if the full 10% reduction persists. Those passengers may encounter cancellations, rebookings onto later flights, or reroutes through other Midwest gateways as airlines consolidate departures to maximize load factors and preserve connections.

To help avoid further bottlenecks, the airport’s operations team is encouraging passengers to arrive earlier than usual. IAA Vice President Steve Dillinger advised,

“We will be slower going through TSA, so we would recommend people if they do have a flight, to get there at least 2 to 3 hours early, to make sure they can make it through security all right.”
With Transportation Security Administration officers also working without pay and staffing stretched by sick calls and overtime, checkpoint throughput can vary widely by hour. Longer queues at security could compound the schedule disruptions created by the flight caps, particularly during the morning and late afternoon peaks when Indianapolis International Airport is busiest.

While the order does not apply to international routes, the domestic reductions could still affect connecting passengers bound for overseas flights from other cities. A canceled morning hop to Chicago or New York can sever same-day connections, forcing travelers to overnight or take a longer, multi-stop itinerary. Carriers may prioritize business-heavy routes or those with few alternative options, but airport officials underscored that those decisions rest with each airline as they balance aircraft utilization, crew schedules, and gate availability across their networks.

Airlines at Indianapolis International Airport have begun pushing schedule changes to their apps and websites, which the airport said is the most reliable place for real-time updates on specific flights. Beyond the cancellations already recorded, further adjustments are expected as carriers rebalance schedules to stay under the daily caps through November 2025 and beyond, if the shutdown continues. Airlines typically try to make these changes in blocks so passengers can be rebooked in one move rather than drip-fed cancellations, but the compressed timeline and rolling caps could lead to multiple rounds of adjustments.

The phased plan now underway at Indianapolis International Airport reflects how the FAA wants the system to absorb the reductions with the least possible shock. The initial 4% cut as of the morning of November 7 gives carriers a baseline, but the trajectory toward 10% by November 14 is steep, and the cumulative effect will be felt most by travelers whose flights fall in the busiest windows between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Because international flights are exempt, some airport operations—like customs staffing and international gate turns—will look normal even as domestic banks thin out.

Travelers and local businesses are watching closely. Indianapolis relies on a mix of business and leisure travel, with steady demand to Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta, and other cities also hit by the FAA order. Reduced frequencies can limit same-day trip options for sales teams and technicians, complicate medical and university travel, and push more people to drive when the distance is within a few hours. For families, weekend plans may hinge on whether a Saturday morning departure holds or is swept into the cancellation log the day before.

Airport administrators stressed that the terminal and airfield remain fully operational. Ground handling, fueling, de-icing, and maintenance continue, and the IAA said it has aligned its staffing to meet the schedules airlines choose to run each day. Concessionaires in the terminal have been asked to stay flexible as passenger flow shifts by time of day. The authority added that its operations center is in constant contact with the FAA command structure as the order evolves, and will adjust gate assignments and ramp operations accordingly to keep aircraft moving efficiently.

The FAA said it will monitor safety data and staffing levels to determine when and how to adjust the order. These measures will remain in effect until further notice, meaning the duration of the caps is tied to the length of the shutdown and the speed at which the agency can rebuild controller staffing and restore normal pay. According to airport officials and union representatives, the shutdown has left air traffic controllers and TSA agents working without pay since October 1, 2025, with overtime and extended shifts becoming common as facilities try to manage traffic that, until now, has been close to normal.

Travelers seeking authoritative information can consult the Federal Aviation Administration for official updates about system capacity, safety notices, and policy actions related to the shutdown. For airlines, slot coordination and compliance questions are being handled by the FAA Slot Administration, which can be reached at [email protected] or (202) 267-2822. The IAA said it will continue to update its own channels and coordinate with carriers to push timely alerts about gate changes, cancellations, and rebookings at Indianapolis International Airport.

For passengers who still need to fly, simple steps can reduce stress. Checking flight status repeatedly in the 24 hours before departure can catch schedule shifts early enough to rebook options that may vanish within minutes as dozens of travelers compete for the same seats. Arriving earlier allows more buffer for the longer TSA lines the IAA is warning about. Keeping carry-on baggage light can speed security and ease re-accommodation if a gate agent needs volunteers to move to a later flight. And for those whose trips are flexible, off-peak departures may see fewer disruptions as airlines focus cuts on the densest banks.

Even with those tips, the broader reality remains: Indianapolis International Airport and roughly 40 other major airports are now operating with fewer domestic flights during the day and evening, and the coming week will bring deeper reductions as the schedule moves from the initial 4% cap into 6%, 8%, and then the full 10% by November 14. The FAA’s goal is to maintain safety and prevent more severe disruptions later, but for the tens of thousands of travelers who pass through Indianapolis most days, the near-term experience will involve more schedule checks, earlier arrivals, and, for some, unexpected nights at home or in a hotel instead of at their destinations.

Union officials warn that the pressures behind the cuts are not easily resolved without an end to the shutdown and a plan to reinforce the controller workforce. MacQueen’s description of a system “on a razor’s edge” points to the underlying challenge: maintaining the efficiency of the National Airspace System while the people who ensure separation and sequencing do so with mandatory overtime and no paychecks. Airline operations managers are making calculus in real time about which flights can be consolidated, which crews can be reassigned, and how to minimize missed connections across an interdependent web of routes.

In Indianapolis, the immediate focus is on helping passengers get where they need to go with as little disruption as possible while complying with federal limits. Though international services will continue unaffected by the FAA order, the domestic backbone that feeds those long-haul departures and the nation’s broader travel economy will run leaner through November 2025. Whether the system snaps back to full strength depends on when the federal shutdown ends and how quickly controllers and aviation staff can return to normal schedules with pay, rest, and training. Until then, the airport’s message remains steady: check with your airline, arrive early, and expect that schedules could change again before you get to the gate.